Gal Gadot Says Her Wonder Woman Will ‘Inspire’ But Grant Morrison Says She Isn’t What Her Creator Wanted

The SDCC ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ trailer was arguably the highlight of the event and helped shed a lot of light on Warner Brothers/DC’s upcoming big screen slugfest and for a lot of fans, seeing Gal Gadot suited up in full Wonder Woman regalia, locked in combat was the most exciting part. It’s been a long journey, as Wonder Woman is possibly the most famous super hero to never appear in a live action theatrical film. Hopes are high!

Gadot doesn’t seem ruffled by the pressure, but she definitely has respect for the role and what it represents. She recently commented:

“I told them that I wanted to be able to show the stronger side of women. I didn’t want to do the obvious role that you see in Hollywood most of the time, which is the heartbroken girl who’s waiting to be rescued by the guy, blah, blah, blah.

I’m so excited about this role. I feel like I’ve been given a huge opportunity to inspire people, not only women. And not because of me but because of who Wonder Woman is and what she stands for. There’s a lot of responsibility. But I have the best team and the best people to work with. It’s going to be an amazing ride, knock on wood.”

That’s a relief, that she has so much reverence for Wonder Woman, not just as a part in a movie, but as a universal symbol. But as we know, it’s really not up to her to decide what this version of the character really is. That lies with the script writers and director Zack Snyder.

Now keep in mind, Wonder Woman is only glimpsed in a couple of brief action shots and doesn’t have any dialogue in the trailer.

But at least one person has spoken out against this combative depiction of Princess Diana, award-winning writer Grant Morrison, author of the long-in-production graphic novel ‘Wonder Woman: Earth One.’ The writer scripted both Diana and her mother Hippolyta during his acclaimed run on ‘JLA’ and he feels that the film version goes against what her original creator, William Moulton Marston intended for her to represent.

“[The warrior woman thing is] not what Marston wanted, that’s not what he wanted at all. His original concept for Wonder Woman was an answer to comics that he thought were filled with images of blood-curdling masculinity, and you see the latest shots of Gal Gadot in the costume, and it’s all sword and shield and her snarling at the camera. Marston’s Diana [Prince, the character’s real name] was a doctor, a healer, a scientist.”

“What would a society of immortal women that’s been around for 7,000 years have done? They wouldn’t still be chopping men’s heads off; they’ve got art and architecture and philosophy and poetry and it’s got nothing to do with men.”

In recent years, comic writers have focused on Wonder Woman’s warrior roots and indeed, the Amazons are considered among the most highly skilled combatants in the world. It’s easier to slap a sword in Wonder Woman’s hands than show her visiting her enemies in prison in hopes of reforming them– a regular occurrence in classic WW comics.

Wonder Woman: ambassador of peace or lethal warrior? Which is the truer interpretation? Would a gentler Diana be too boring in an action movie? Or is this sword-slinger a betrayal of what she should be? How do you hope Wonder Woman comes across onscreen?

Jax Motes

Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.